davenport



(No Movdel.)

' CORSET PASTENER.

Patented Maf. 27, 1 888 N. PETERS, Phawmnu m Waihinglun. a c.

, UN ITED STATES PATENT OF ICE,-

I BENJAMIN-R. DAVENPORT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE CALUMET FASTENER COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CORSET-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 380.192, dated March 27-, 1888.

Application filed November 7, 1887. Serial No. 254,474. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern: 7 Be it known that I, BENJAMIN R. DAVEN- PORT, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corset-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in corset-fasteners, enabling the securing or rero moval of the corset from the person, and particularly thelatter, independently of thelacingstrings.

'The objects of this invention are not only to securely lock the corset upon thejperson, I 5 butlto do this and also remove the corset without a compression of the person or a strain of the corset beyond that which it has while in its operative position upon the person, and at the same time produce a fastener of such a character that its several parts may be detached and the corset unfastened without any strain upon the corset or any substantial effort upon the part of the wearer. These objects are attained by devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 illustrates a detailed perspective view of a corset embodying my invention Fig. 2, a transverse section of the same on a line centrally through the fastener.

The body A of the corset and the steels ,B B are of the ordinary construction and arrange ment now generally employed in the manufacture of corsets.

Secured by riveting or otherwise to the steel 5 B is a catch-loop, C, which may be formed by striking it up from the steel, or said catch may be a separate piece secured to the steel in any well-known manner to project, outward from the corset at a right angle to the steel and in position to engage a catch, D, which has its shank riveted or otherwise rigidly secured to the steel B, so that its catch end E projects from the edge of the corset in such a manner that it may engage the'catch-loop when both ends of the corset are brought together in the act of fastening the corset upon the person.

The operative face F of the catch (see Fig. 2) extends at a right angle to the plane of the face of the catch-shank, so that without some further holding device but little pressure is required to force the catch away from the engagement with the catch-loop, and, in fact, the contact between the operative face of the catch and the catch-loop is of such a nature that while two parts alone will not serve to fasten I 5 5 the corset on the person, they do afford, in connection with a third element or device, a per: fectly-secure fastener under any and all strains a corset may be subjected to, and which third element or fastening device requires nosub- 6o stantial effort to secure it in position after the catch and catch-loop have once been secured together.

The third .elementor device referred to consists of a short elastic web or strip, G, secured to the corset-body at or beyond the inner and shank end of the catch, said elastic strip having near its free end and on its under side a loop, H, preferably metallic, and of such form that it may embrace .the free end of the catch or so much of it asprojects beyond the catchloop, and at the same time force the catch toward the catch-loop and maintain it in engagement therewith, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, the length and elasticity of the strap being such that it will hold the loop in that position when so engaged. This elastic'strap G and its loop H constitute a locking device for the clasp properthat is to say, for the catch and 'catch-loop-and when the several parts are in their operative position for holding the corset upon the person the direction of strain of the strap and loop tends to force the catch outwardly against the catch-loop; but in order to assure this operation under all circumstances 85 the depth of the catch and catch-loop is such that the one may just pass through the other, and as aresult thelocking-loop when it isin its operative position is supported by the covering of the corset-steel, and it is therefore wedged between the corset-steel and the catch, which latter cannot under such circumstances be forced away from thecatch-loop until the locking-loop is removed.

In the operation of locking the corset upon the person the edges thereof are forced toward each other until the operative face of the catch can be forced outward in engagement with thecatch-loop, and in this connection it is important to observe that both in engaging and disengaging the catch and catch-loop no strain of the corsets or compression of the person in excess of that to which both are subjected during the wearing of the corset is required, for the catch and catch-loop will be successfully engaged at the moment that the strain upon the corset and the compression of the person has reached that degree, and only that degree, that it is designed they shall have during the wearing of the corset. In this respect my invention diflers materially and substantially from any other corset-fastener now k'nown,for whether the commonly hook-shaped catches be employed for engagement with loops or headed studs engaged by eyes the tension upon the corset and the compression of the person in securing the corsetin position is necessarily substantially greater than that which either have during the wearing of the corset. After securing the catch and catch-loop, as just described, the free end of the locking-strap is taken hold of and pulled toward the projecting end of the catch and in alignment with said end, so that when released the loop will pass over the end of the catch and at the same time elevate it and be maintained in its operative position by the elasticity of the strap and by the abutting of the loop against the catchloop. In unfastening the corset the lookinga catch-loop and a catch adapted to engage loop may be readily disengaged by pulling it away from the catch, and then bya very slight pressure of the finger on the edge of the corset to which the catch is secured the catch, and, in fact, all the catches the entire length of the corset, may be readily and quickly disengaged.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s--.

1. In the corset-fastening herein described, a catch-loop and a catch, in combination with a locking-loop the bar of which wedges between the corset-steel and the catch, whereby said catch is locked in engagement with the catchloop, substantially as described.

2. In the corset-fastening herein described,

45 therewith, in combination with an elastic strap and a loop thereon adapted to engage and lock the catch and catch-loop together, substantially as described.

- BENJAMIN R. DAVENPORT.

\Vitnesses:

W. W. ELLIOTT, W. T. GIBBON. 

